Autumn at Fairview Farm

Throughout the spring and summer, Fairview Farm Wildlife Preserve is a great place to observe insects, particularly butterflies and dragonflies. It has two small, fenced-in butterfly gardens, one full of wildflowers and the other sown with a mix of wildflowers and ornamental flowers. The rest of the property has a small pond and a variety of open and wooded habitats that contain foodplants for a variety of insects. The meadows seemed like they might be attractive to sparrows during migration, so that is where I birded yesterday.

As it turned out, I ended up not seeing that many sparrows yesterday. I saw a small flock of crisp-looking Savannah Sparrows in one of the butterfly gardens. Plus there were some Song Sparrows and White-throated Sparrows around. But the fields seemed to have very little sparrow activity at all.

There was a bit more activity in the wooded and edge areas, where I saw a lot of Yellow-rumped Warblers. I saw my first Yellow-bellied Sapsucker of the fall, as well as a Blue-headed Vireo, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, and some Palm Warblers. Towards the end of the morning, I heard and then saw two Ring-necked Pheasants along the entrance road into the preserve.

A Visit to Scherman Hoffman

By the time I arrived at Scherman Hoffman yesterday morning, a sunny morning had turned into an overcast one. To some extent, this was a relief since Central Jersey residents were treated to a very hot July, and yesterday's overcast sky helped moderate the temperature. However, this moderation came at the cost of suppressing insect activity particularly that of the large insects (odonates and butterflies) that I had hoped to see.

The birds appeared to be mostly the same species that had bred around the refuge this summer. I had nice looks at several Gray Catbirds, a Downy Woodpecker, and a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. Other birds that made their presence known through contact calls included Eastern Towhee, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Eastern Bluebird, White-breasted Nuthatch, and Tufted Titmouse. A Scarlet Tanager was present on one of the trails. The one definite migrant was a Solitary Sandpiper that I accidentally flushed from the pond in the lower meadow.

Several species of butterflies were active despite the clouds. The highlight was an Appalachian Brown, shown above. I have seen these fairly regularly over the past two months, so perhaps they are not as uncommon as I thought. Or perhaps they are just having a good year. Either way, I always enjoy seeing them.

Other butterflies included Spicebush Swallowtail, Question Mark (shown above), Common Buckeye, and Least Skipper.

There are still plenty of flowers blooming in the meadows around the refuge. One trail features a nice bushy crop of butter-and-eggs.

Whittingham WMA

After wandering around Muckshaw Ponds Preserve in the morning, I spent Saturday afternoon at Whittingham WMA, which is conveniently located across the road from Muckshaw Ponds. (In fact, one of the WMA parking lots serves as parking for Muckshaw ponds.) Whittingham WMA is a 1,930-acre refuge that shares much of the same geology as its neighbor. Low limestone ridges alternate with depressions that hold wet areas. However, the public areas at the two sites have different characters. While the trails at Muckshaw Ponds pass through dense forests, Whittingham WMA is more open, with several large meadows in addition to the wooded ridges. In addition, the WMA includes a spring that serves as the principal source for the Pequest River and fills a series of ponds that are partially visible from the trails.

The bird species I encountered were much the same as in the morning. I did not see or hear a Hooded Warbler, but I did find a few new birds for the day. It was nice to see a Scarlet Tanager and hear a Prairie Warbler near the entrance. I found a handful of Blue-gray Gnatcatchers at the edge of a clearing in the woods. One pond had a female Gadwall in addition to the Wood Ducks and Mallards. Finally, I heard an Acadian Flycatcher calling; I have not heard many of them since moving back to this state.

There were a lot of dragonflies active in the refuge's meadows and clearings. The most numerous were ones like the meadowhawk above. From what I have read, this falls into a species complex that is not field-identifiable in New Jersey. The complex includes Ruby Meadowhawk, White-faced Meadowhawk, and "Eastern" Cherry-faced Meadowhawk, all of which have overlapping characteristics. Whatever these were, they were all over the place.

As you can see, I got myself an insect net and started netting dragonflies this weekend. The very first dragonfly I netted was this Great Blue Skimmer, which I think is an immature male. (You can see it perched here.) Catching them turned out to be easier than I expected, at least for the perched dragonflies I practiced on. All were released unharmed. The Great Blue Skimmers at Muckshaw Ponds and Whittingham were probably my odonate highlight for the day. While widespread in New Jersey, they are easy to miss among the other blue-colored dragonflies.

I saw relatively few Eastern Pondhawks, but I did catch up with this lovely female.

Muckshaw Ponds Preserve

New Jersey's northwestern counties are part of gives the state such incredible biodiversity for its size. While the southeastern end of the state has more in common with the Delmarva Peninsula or the Carolinas, the northwestern end is more like upstate New York. Though I grew up in New Jersey, and have now spent several years in the state as a birder, I have not explored a lot of the state's northwestern corner. So I spent yesterday morning at Muckshaw Ponds Preserve near Springdale in Sussex County, a county I think I have only visited once previously.

Muckshaw Ponds Preserve is a 530-acre refuge run by the Nature Conservancy. It consists of a series of low, parallel limestone ridges. In the depressions between the ridges there are a series of ponds and a few meadows.

A lot of the birds have quieted down by now, but some were still singing. The highlight was a Hooded Warbler that I heard on the way in and the way out. I finally managed to track it down and see it on the second hearing. Other birds included Indigo Bunting, Field Sparrow, Common Yellowthroat, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Red-eyed Vireo, and Yellow-throated Vireo. A family of Wood Ducks (I counted 8) swam past in one of the ponds. I heard several flycatchers – mostly Eastern Phoebes and Eastern Wood-Pewees. I could tell that they must have a lot to eat there since the mosquitos were so thick in the air. I imagine that there would be a greater variety of avian songsters on a visit in May or June.

One reason I was interested in this particular preserve was to find unusual insects around the ponds. Unfortunately, I did not see as many dragonflies as I had hoped. I think that may partly be because I spent so much time in the woods instead of in meadows or around the pond edges. However, I did see a few, such as the Widow Skimmer above.

I found this Slaty Skimmer along a narrow, rocky pathway between two ponds.

This Great Blue Skimmer confused me initially, but eventually I figured out what it was.

Kiteless

In late October, a White-tailed Kite – possibly the same one that spent the summer in Connecticut – showed up in a small part of Forsythe NWR in Barnegat, New Jersey. This was only the second state record for the species, and a lot of the state's birders eagerly rushed to see it. Yesterday was my first chance to look for the kite, so I headed down with my mother and sister. We arrived at the Barnegat Municipal Dock and scanned the far shoreline for about 40 minutes with no sign of the kite. Another birder told us that he had been there for about an hour before we arrived, also with no luck. Moving on, we stopped at two vantage points for the Forsythe impoundments, one at the public beach and the other at a small observation platform. Neither had any sign of a White-tailed Kite, though we did see some waterfowl and a Belted Kingfisher. After checking the first location once more, we moved on.

We stopped at Cape May Point State Park in the late afternoon. I had hoped to see the Ash-throated Flycatcher that has been hanging around there; unfortunately it must have turned in for the evening by the time we were walking the trails. Instead, there were lots of waterfowl to look at, including a Eurasian Wigeon among the hundreds of American Wigeon. Other ducks included Ring-necked Duck, Ruddy Duck, Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Gadwall, and Green-winged Teal. I noticed two male Green-winged Teal swimming close by each other, one of which had a much more prominent vertical white bar than the other one. I am not sure if this is simply normal variation or marks a difference in populations. Sibley has an illustration of a Green-winged X Common Teal hybrid that has a similarly narrow vertical bar; however, that hybrid should have a more prominent white line where the wings rest against the body than this bird does.

As the sun set and dusk rolled in, we had two memorable sightings. First, as we were watching the waterfowl, a Merlin popped over the far treeline, flew out over the lake, grabbed a songbird in midair, and flew off with the bird in its talons. It is with good reason that raptor banders call the hour before sunset the "magical Merlin hour"! Second, as we were listening to some Brown Thrashers in the twilight, a Woodcock flew over our heads; it landed a short distance in front of us and started feeding. Shortly after that we saw a couple more Woodcock flush and fly past the trail.

Terns and Shorebirds along Raritan Bay

I met with Patrick yesterday to do some birding around the lower Raritan watershed. Middlesex County is well positioned to attract a diverse bird life as it straddles the boundary between Piedmont and coastal plain. It is also densely developed. This means that patches of habitat are likely to be relatively small, especially compared to more rural portions of the state. Unusual birds are likely to be fleeting visitors during migration or tucked away in some swamp or pond.

Our first stop was a large pond near Raritan Center, which had a lot of waterlilies but few birds. A lone Green Heron was the only highlight. From there we went to Woodbridge River Watch, a small marsh. By this point it was starting to drizzle, and the rain would continue for most of the morning. We had hoped to see a Red-headed Woodpecker, which had been reported from the site on previous occasions. That bird failed to materialize, but we did see a handful of Least Sandpipers, a Lesser Yellowlegs, and a Northern Waterthrush. There must have been a few dozen robins just in the entrance to the park. That seems like a high concentration for this time of year.

We left Woodbridge and headed for South Amboy. The short strip of shoreline that runs from South Amboy to Laurence Harbor faces Raritan Bay and is the best area of the county to find coastal birds. At the Morgan Ave beach in South Amboy, we found a large group of gulls loafing on the shore, along with a few Semipalmated Plovers and a Least Sandpiper. We stood and scanned a bit to see if anything else would fly past. As we waited, I noticed one Herring Gull bearing 3rd winter plumage. Eventually, our patience was rewarded with a Spotted Sandpiper, a Willet, a couple Common Terns, and a Royal Tern – the last an excellent bird for the county.

Our next stop was Waterworks Park, a large pond behind the South Amboy waterfront. Pied-billed Grebes have been reported breeding here in the past; we did not see any grebes, but we did see six Wood Ducks on the pond. We also heard a strange vocalization that sounded somewhat like the croak of a night heron and somewhat like the grunts of a rail. Unfortunately we never saw the bird, so we could not identify it for certain. Other bird life included a Ruby-throated Hummingbird and an American Goldfinch that sang continuously as we scanned the pond. By the time we got to this park, the intermittent drizzle had stopped and the clouds had broken, so that a lot of insects were active. These included some odes; I noticed Common Green Darner, Blue Dasher, and this Fragile Forktail (Ischnura posita).

Nearby was this Pondside Pyralid Moth (Munroessa icciusalis).

A patch of blooming pokeweed and porcelainberry attracted many bees and wasps along with other pollinators. A highlight was this Katydid Wasp (Sphex nudus), a southeastern species that is near the northern end of its range.

There was also a Northern Paper Wasp (Polistes fuscatus).

Our last stop was at the eastern edge of Middlesex County, a beach in Laurence Harbor called Pirates Cove. This spot has a good view of the bay and the mudflats at the mouth of Whale Creek. There were a lot of Least Terns gathered along the beach. Many of them were immatures, including several that still had much of the juvenile plumage. They had grown enough of their immature plumage to fly, but their backs were still covered with downy brown feathers. I counted 28 on either side of the jetty. In addition to them, there were a few Common Terns, some of which were also very young, and a large flock of Laughing Gulls. Shorebirds included Semipalmated Plovers, several Sanderling, a Willet, and an American Oystercatcher.

After scanning a bit more, we packed it in for the day. I added six new county birds yesterday: Northern Waterthrush, Royal Tern, Common Tern, Willet, American Oystercatcher, and Least Tern. I think Patrick added a few for his county list, too. Despite occasional drizzle and some avian no-shows, it was a fun and successful morning of birding.

In Search of the Golden-winged Warbler

Yesterday I took a train to Ramsey to meet Bev since she knows of a good spot for Golden-winged Warblers and generously offered to take me there. The place is just over the New York border and is as nondescript as a birding spot can be. Along the side of a road there is a small, unmarked pull-off, and beyond that is a powerline cut running alongside a stream. It is the sort of place one might pass by without even noticing its presence. The great thing is that Golden-winged Warblers breed there, so they are reliable from one year to the next.

Our morning began auspiciously with a repeated bee-buzz, the standard call of a Blue-winged Warbler, sounding from the trees. This was not actually a Blue-winged Warbler but a Brewster's Warbler, one of the hybrid forms of Blue-winged Warbler and Golden-winged Warbler. This bird had white undersides, a gray nape and back, white wingbars, a golden crown, and a black eyeline. The Brewster's was not shy and sang from prominent perches near the trail.

As we continued along the power cut, we saw many other birds. Northern and Louisiana Waterthrushes called from the wooded area on the left side of the trail. Baltimore Orioles were very prominent, singing and chasing each other in the treetops. Indigo Buntings were also darting back and forth across the trail. Close to the pull-off I saw a female American Redstart add material to a nest; several other warblers were also gathering nest material nearby. Blue-winged Warblers sounded from a few places but did not show themselves. Yellow Warblers sang all along the trail and were actively gathering nest material or chasing rivals.

Finally Bev heard a Golden-winged Warbler calling from a swampy area about half a mile down the trail. Unfortunately it was difficult to locate the sound over the racket put up by a Great-crested Flycatcher, but I heard it clearly enough to identify it. Just as we thought we had figured out where the Golden-winged Warbler was, a Broad-winged Hawk landed on a snag above the bushes. This silenced all of the birds (well, except for the flycatcher). Once the hawk went away, some activity resumed. A couple of Eastern Bluebirds appeared in the snags above the swamp; one appeared to be carrying an insect, presumably to feed to nestlings. A Wilson's Warbler landed just below eye level and paused briefly before disappearing. A few other warblers such as Chestnut-sided, Black-throated Green, and Magnolia were active in nearby trees.

After waiting a little longer by the swampy area, we decided to head back and bird the other side of the pull-off. The other side was more open with small beaver lake, making for a slightly different set of species. A lot of Red-winged Blackbirds were patrolling their territories; meanwhile a few Common Grackles were foraging, and a Brown-headed Cowbirds sang on top of a telephone pole. Several Tree Swallows darted back and forth over the lake. Eastern Kingbirds hawked insects from dead snags near the lake's edges. In addition to the usual waterfowl, there was a pair of Wood Ducks. The shrubs along the path had more Baltimore Orioles and Yellow Warblers. At one point I thought I heard a Golden-winged Warbler, but a flock of motorcycles roared past, and it did not call again. We still got one good bird, though. Bev saw, and I heard, a Kentucky Warbler low in the bushes near the edge of the lake.

Since I had gone up specifically for Golden-winged Warbler, we decided to try once more to see one. So we walked back down the trail past the pull-off to the swampy area. Once again Bev heard them singing. This time I saw one perched out in the open at the side of a large tree. It was cooperative and sang in the open for several minutes while a nearby rival answered. Once I was satisfied, we left and headed to Doodletown.

Doodletown is an abandoned village near Bear Mountain. It is more surprising that it was once inhabited than that it was abandoned because it is necessary to climb a steep hill to reach the former village's site. The reason for a birder to visit is that many warblers stop on the hill during migration and some stay to breed. Our best bird there was Cerulean Warbler, of which we may have heard a half dozen (only one of them seen). There were just as many orioles here as at the pull-off spot, including one Orchard Oriole near the trailhead. We also saw blackpoll and heard a singing first-year male American Redstart. We also got nice looks at a Blackpoll Warbler and a Blue-winged Warbler. A few other warblers, like Hooded Warbler and Magnolia Warbler, sang along the trail, but were difficult to find.

Once we had found what we could at Doodletown, we called it a day. We ended the day with 16 species of warblers and over 50 species overall. Both of the places we birded are great locations, and Bev is a great guide.

Spring Birding at Manasquan Reservoir

Oak leaflets

Yesterday I did some birding at Manasquan Reservoir. The woods along the south side of the reservoir were very birdy, with large numbers of common species Tree Swallows and Red-winged Blackbirds. I saw about seven or eight red-winged males sitting close together in the same tree, something I would not normally expect at this time of year, as the males become more territorial and aggressive. The only explanation I could think of was that they had a momentary truce as they gathered around the bird feeders. Males elsewhere in the park were singing and displaying their red epaulettes flamboyantly.

Probably my best sighting for the day was a pair of singing male Palm Warblers moving together through the woods by the nature center. I am not sure I had ever noted their song before in the field. In instructional recordings they tend to be paired with Yellow-rumped Warblers, but I thought their songs bore a closer resemblance those of the Pine Warblers and Chipping Sparrows I encountered in the same area. In any case, my first sighting of the species for this year.

Birds were pairing and starting to set up nests along the trails. I saw at least two pairs of Tufted Titmice entering nestboxes with nesting material, and at least one courting display between a pair. Some of the Carolina Chickadees and Blue-gray Gnatcatchers also seemed to be acting as pairs, though in their cases the behavior was less obvious. One Osprey was sitting on a nest, with its mate keeping watch close by.

The reservoir is probably best known among birders for a pair of Bald Eagles that have nested there for the past several years. They returned to the nest again this winter and hatched one chick. There a remote camera set up so that visitors can watch the activities at the nest on a monitor at the nature center. I saw the eaglet on the nature center's monitor and then later saw the two adults near the nest.

Birds at Barnegat Inlet

Yesterday morning I went with my parents and sister to meet up with my uncle and his wife at Barnegat Lighthouse State Park. During winter months, this site offers some of the best coastal birding in the state. One of its major advantages as a birding site is that it allows relatively close approach. Birds that winter there seem used to being around large numbers of people and tend not to flush as quickly as at other sites. This allows close viewing of birds that we do not see very often.

It is the most reliable site in the state for finding northern waterfowl such as Common Eiders and Harlequin Ducks. Both of these species, as well as scoters, were present in modete numbers yesterday. I only saw one Harlequin Duck myself, but there was a larger flock farther down the beach. Other wintering waterfowl such as Long-tailed Ducks and Buffleheads were nowhere near their winter peak numbers. In addition to the headline ducks, there was a flock of Brant next to the jetty.

Several shorebird species were present along the jetty. A small flock of Black-bellied Plovers were hiding in the beach grass. Flocks of American Oystercatchers flew past us over in the inlet. On the jetty itself, there were Ruddy Turnstones, Dunlin, and Purple Sandpipers. The largest group of shorebirds that I noted was a flock of Dunlin numbering around 100. Above is a Dunlin and a Ruddy Turnstone loafing on the same rock. I posted other photos of Dunlin and Turnstones at my Flickr account.

Gulls, though abundant, should not be neglected. This handsome immature Herring Gull started its long call just as I took its photograph.

Walking from the lighthouse to the far end of the jetty is always exciting. I am lured farther and farther out by the prospect or seeing new birds or having a better view of birds I have seen distantly or in poor light. Plus there are constantly new birds – sandpipers, sparrows, etc. – popping up from between the jetty's rocks. On the way back I am more tired, more worried about my footing, and have seen most of the bird species the jetty has to offer. At least the return trip offers a marvelous view:

In the afternoon we walked along the "High Bar" beach to the west of the lighthouse. Most of the birds were the same as at the jetty – small flocks of Brant, Black-bellied Plovers, and Dunlin, with a few other water birds in the mix. One new addition was a hatch-year Merlin perched at the top of a bare tree. Not bad at all for a fall day!

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A Moth and Me (and a Few Birds)

The November edition of The Moth and Me was just posted yesterday. This is the last edition for 2009 since moths in northern latitudes are becoming less and less active. The next edition will be in March of 2010.

Since I am posting a moth-related carnival, I will use this as an excuse to post a recent moth photo, taken at Negri-Nepote Grasslands Preserve on Sunday.

This is not the best of photos, but I believe this moth is still identifiable as a Celery Leaftier (Udea rubigalis). These moths are very small and flit around in the grass. A few other moths were also active at the preserve, but I was not able to photograph or identify them by sight.

The preserve was well-stocked with sparrows of multiple species. White-throated and Song Sparrows were, of  course, in large numbers. A few Field Sparrows and a lingering Chipping Sparrow were also present. The most noticeable birds, however, were the Savannah Sparrows, which almost outnumbered much more common species. At one location, a half-dozen put on a show for me as they hopped around and splashed in a shallow puddle. I also saw a Vesper Sparrow, which did not seem to be on good terms with the Savannahs.

Even though it was Sunday, gunners were firing in a nearby field (presumably private property). They were far enough away not to pose a significant threat, but close enough to be unnerving. Apparently crows liked their activity even less. A large mass of crows – over 200 – converged on that field and noisily mobbed whoever was shooting.

Towhee and Other South Jersey Birds

Yesterday morning we started out at Bivalve. The shell piles smelled even worse than the last time. This time there were many raptors: two Bald Eagles, three Northern Harriers, and a Sharp-shinned Hawk. The latter suddenly popped out of the phragmites; perhaps we disturbed it from a meal. Many Green-winged Teal were visible from the embankment. Other waterfowl included Snow Geese and Black Ducks.

A brief stop at Fortescue yielded more or less the same birds. An eagle was scaring up waterfowl on the marsh, while vultures turned in the distance. No birds were visible on the bay, except for a collection of Herring and Ring-billed Gulls standing on the beach.

Our target stop, however, was the Glades Wildlife Refuge, a preserve owned by the Natural Lands Trust. The entrance is not easy to find, as it is marked only with a generic "coastal heritage site" sign and not the name of the refuge. (This is one element of the Birding Cumberland guide that could use improvement.) The refuge itself is gorgeous. After passing through a woodland dominated by oaks and hollies, a visitor comes out into the middle of a vast salt marsh. A short boardwalk leads to an observation tower. From the tower one can see for miles across spartina and phragmites grasses interrupted only by distant treelines and an occasional house.

From that platform we could see many waterfowl. The birds at close range were mostly Green-winged Teal – about 750 by my count. There were also Black Ducks, Buffleheads, and Northern Pintails. On the horizon we could also see distant skeins of Snow Geese – perhaps a thousand, perhaps more. I doubt that the flocks we saw come anywhere near the total birds in the marsh. As the waterfowl are massing for the journey to their breeding grounds, shorebirds are starting to arrive. A couple hundred Dunlin competed for space on the mudflats with a few dozen yellowlegs. Most of the yellowlegs appeared to be of the Greater variety, but there were a few Lessers in the mix. I enjoyed hearing the yellowleg calls again. As we headed back along the entrance road to the car, we heard a bird calling from near a vernal pool in the woods. The combination of grunts and squeaks sounded characteristic of a Virginia Rail.

On the way back, we stopped at Collingswood to see the Green-tailed Towhee that has been present in a yard there since January 1. It required about a twenty-minute wait before the towhee appeared, but we had plenty of other birds to watch in the meantime. The well-stocked feeders attract many common backyard species, as well as less common ones like Fox Sparrow. Suddenly the towhee emerged near the back fence and started foraged under the bushes. The bird moved plenty of dirt around in that time. Each kick was digging fairly deep into the soil for a bird of that size; it seemed to dig as deep as an inch in a single location before moving on to the next spot. Once we had all had plenty of time to watch, the towhee disappeared, and we departed. I did not take photos, but other birders have. Here is a photo study of the Collingswood Green-tailed Towhee from another New Jersey birder.

Coastal Cumberland

The second part of my South Jersey weekend took me through coastal Cumberland County, a New Jersey county that I had never visited before, at least to my knowledge. Now, there are some New Jersey counties that I have passed through via the New Jersey Turnpike, but never set foot in. (That would be Camden, Gloucester, and Salem.) Cumberland, on the other hand, I had never previously visited, and never had occasion to pass through, either. So this was entirely new ground for me.

Our first stop was at East Point, near Heislerville. At this stop, there were not many birds to see, and we spent more time looking at the old lighthouse, built in 1849, decommissioned in 1941, and placed back into service in 1980. To me, the building appears older than the 1840s – almost like 18th-century architecture. Perhaps this part of the state was slower to adopt new styles.

Our second stop, or perhaps auto tour would be a better descriptor, was the series of waterfowl impoundments along Matt's Landing Road, part of Heislerville WMA. Thanks to the warm weekend weather, most of the water was open, allowing decent numbers of waterfowl, especially Buffleheads. The biggest surprise – and my favorite sighting of the day – was a brief glimpse of a Clapper Rail swimming before it disappeared into some reeds. Try as I might, I could not spot the rail once it reached the reeds, even though I was standing directly over the place the rail was hiding, and even though the reed bank was only about two feet wide. These are amazingly elusive creatures.

The third stop was at Bivalve, so-called due to its primary industry, catching and processing mollusks. This industry is pungently apparent on Bivalve's High Street, where a large pile of shells attracts a large number of gulls – as well as a few birders looking for unusual gulls. I am sad to report that we found no rare gulls of any kind, just the usual Ring-billed and Herring varieties. That said, a stop was still worthwhile, as we continued to see waterfowl on all sides. Most were Black Ducks or Buffleheads. Now and then a distant flock of Snow Geese would rise out of the saltmarsh and shift locations. Two Common Goldeneye, both apparently female, were on the Maurice River close to the Bivalve shore.

Following a short drive through the nearby town of Shell Pile, we stopped at the restoration area at the end of Strawberry Lane to eat lunch and follow a trail through nearby fields. From the platform we were able to see many more waterfowl, which included decent looks at a dozen Green-winged Teal, one of my favorite dabbling ducks, and a flock of Northern Pintail. The fields as the boardwalk had a small flock of Eastern Bluebirds and lots of sparrows. One of my favorite sparrows, a Swamp Sparrow was present, and a White-crowned Sparrow also put in an appearance. I also got a taste for why NJ Audubon chose Cumberland County for its winter eagle festival. In the brief time we were at the restoration area, we saw at least one pair of Red-tailed Hawks and a third-year Bald Eagle. As we were leaving, a Sharp-shinned Hawk flushed from the treeline and flew across the field. Not bad for a raptor show.

Our final stops were in the Dividing Creek area. The impoundments along Maple Street had more or less the same set of waterfowl we saw at other stops, with similarly good numbers of waterfowl. Turkey Point was a good point to get an idea of the extent of the saltmarshes along our southern Delaware bayshore. It is disheartening to imagine that much of New Jersey's Atlantic coast was probably covered by similar marshes years ago, only to have them disappear in the face of summer tourism. Even this relatively isolated spot attracted many visitors in the short time we were present; it is not clear to me how many were birders. (Really, the number of cars present at Turkey Point really surprised me, after seeing hardly any birders all day.) On a more cheerful note, our stop at Turkey Point was also an occasion for observing large flocks of Snow Geese flying overhead and in the distance.

Following this stop, we head back to Central Jersey.

Brigantine and Villas

Yesterday was the first day of a South Jersey weekend. The trip was originally supposed to involve a few more people who could not make it. So it ended up just being my mother and I taking a tour of South Jersey birding spots.

We began around mid-morning at Brigantine, the main attraction in Forsythe NWR. A trail near the entrance turned up a few songbirds. There was a nice flock of sparrows along the entrance drive, including a brilliant Eastern Towhee. Where the drive crosses a lake, an immature Bald Eagle flushed a flock of Mallards and a pair of Hooded Mergansers.

At the first observation tower (on Gull Pond Road), we could see several large flocks of Canada Geese, numbering in the thousands. In the distance were also a few dozen swans, which turned out to be Tundra Swans when we got closer to them later in the day. Several small flocks of waterfowl included more Mallards, Hooded Mergansers, and Northern Pintails. Those three species, along with Black Ducks, would be the dominant waterfowl species along Wildlife Drive. Just before we moved on, a Peregrine Falcon shot past the tower in pursuit of some pintails. Unfortunately for the falcon (but fortunately for the ducks), it missed.

Wildlife Drive winds around the refuge for about eight miles or so. Today we saw pretty much the same species all the way around. The main exception is that there were some collections of American Wigeon, Bufflehead, and Brant along the section of the drive closest to the bay. A few hundred Dunlin were scattered in several flocks, mostly at the outer part of the drive. I tried to find other shorebird species among them, but I was unsuccessful. Near the end of wildlife drive, once we got back into the meadow and forest parts of the refuge, there were a few trails that looked like they had some potential for early morning birding. Today the birds were mostly common species, but we got some good looks at Hermit Thrushes.

After returning back to the entrance, we started down to Cape May. My main interest on the peninsula this weekend is Villas WMA, site of a series of intriguing sightings in the past few weeks. Most of the rarities were uncooperative. I did my best to pick out a hen Eurasian Wigeon among the dozens of American Wigeons, but I am still not sure if I actually saw one. (A drake would be so much more convenient!) White-winged Crossbills were nowhere to be found, though apparently they were present earlier in the day, and the (resident?) Red-headed Woodpecker was trying not to be seen (and succeeding). We did get some very good looks at waterfowl, including a brace of beautiful drake Redheads, a Canvasback, a Ruddy Duck, and several dozen Ring-necked Ducks. There was also a small flock of Chipping Sparrows between the parking lot and the lake. Best of all, we encounter six of my species of interest, Rusty Blackbird.

Villas is an interesting location, a former golf course being restored to a natural state. As a result, the habitat is quite varied, and the WMA supports diverse breeding and wintering bird populations. It is also seems to get less attention from birders than other spots around the Cape, so if you are looking for a good quiet birding spot on the peninsula, this seems to be the place to be.

A Taste of the Tundra

Yesterday morning we set off for New Jersey's Meadowlands. As I have written before, the Meadowlands area is part nature preserve, part suburban development, and part post-industrial wasteland, with a sports/entertainment complex plunked down in the middle of it. Despite its oddness (or perhaps because of it?), the area offers excellent birding and attracts some unusual species for New Jersey.

DeKorte Park is perhaps most reliable for its masses of wintering waterfowl. In that regard, the day did not disappoint. Among the flocks, there were a few Northern Shovelers, Gadwall, Northern Pintails, and a Green-winged Teal, with somewhat larger flocks of Canvasbacks, Buffleheads, and much larger flocks of the other usual suspects. (There were between 250 and 300 American Black Ducks, for example.) The reported Eurasian Teal, which I saw last year, was not present today, as far as I could see.

Songbirds were pretty sparse, but there was a nice flock of American Tree Sparrows along the Transco Trail near the Kingsland dump. Other than that the only noteworthy songbirds were a few Ruby-crowned Kinglets that were hanging around a small group of cedars. Those two species were among several of my sightings from the day that gave eBird fits.

The real treat was the raptor show that continued all day. There were at least three Rough-legged Hawks, and it would not surprise me if there were more coursing among the retired garbage dumps. The two we saw in the morning were both light morphs. One hovered at relatively close range over the Kingsland dump; the other exhibited similar behavior over the far dump to the west of the park. The latter appeared to be an immature, as its white wing panels were apparent at a great distance. In the afternoon we saw the Kingsland light morph again (at least I presume it was the same bird). It was joined by one dark morph – the first time I have the latter form. The roughlegs were accompanied throughout the day by an assortment of Northern Harriers and Red-tailed Hawks, as well as an American Kestrel and a Peregrine Falcon.

After leaving De Korte Park, we checked for the Snowy Owl that had been reported near the entrance to the park. It was still present along Valley Brook Avenue around 1:30 pm. The owl had moved from the ballfield to a construction area across a side street (Woods Court?), as someone was flying a toy helicopter in the ballfield. It was still close enough for a satisfying view – a much more satisfying view than the first time I saw a representative of the species.

The Rough-legged Hawks and the Snowy Owl combined to give us a little taste of tundra bird life in New Jersey.

Counting Birds for the Lower Hudson CBC

As I mentioned in a previous post, on Sunday I participated in the Lower Hudson Christmas Bird Count. I traveled up with my mother and sister. We joined three other birders early in the morning to cover the Liberty State Park portion of the count.

The Lower Hudson CBC is somewhat unusual in that it crosses state boundaries, with observers covering sites on both sides of the Hudson River. In New Jersey, the count covers the Meadowlands, Jersey City, the Palisades, and parts of towns along the western edge of the Hudson. In New York, there are observers in Central Park, the Battery, Riverside Park, and elsewhere. Lower Hudson has a link to one of the oldest counts, as the first Christmas Bird Count was conducted in Central Park.

Despite our smaller numbers, New Jersey birders found 100 species of birds on the western side of the Hudson, plus two more count week species. The total included some species that can be difficult to find in urban landscapes, such as Rough-legged Hawk, American Kestrel, Virginia Rail, and Short-eared Owl. It also included some late lingering species, like Great Egret, Greater Yellowlegs, Gray Catbird, and Marsh Wren. Plus there were a few westerners like Orange-crowned Warbler. I have not seen any full results from the New York portion of the count, but I understand that they found an immature Red-headed Woodpecker, among other birds.

Liberty State Park is so named because only a little over 600 yards of water separate it from the Statue of Liberty, while only about 400 yards separate it from Ellis Island. The park consists mainly of grassy lawns, which are great for finding open-country birds, but not much else. The park also has a restored marsh and a shrubby (but toxic) back area, which both provide opportunities for finding a more diverse set of birds.

We started out searching for waterfowl on the southeastern corner of the park, which looks out over Upper New York Bay. In addition to the flocks of 650 Brant and 400+ Canada Geese, we found a Canvasback, some Common Goldeneye, and many Bufflehead. That corner of the park also had a flock of about two dozen Horned Larks in the grass. Our next stop at the restoration area produced a selection of dabbling ducks: Gadwall, American Black Duck, American Wigeon, Northern Pintail, and Green-winged Teal, as well as a solitary American Coot. A Common Loon tried to sneak past behind us, but since I had gotten separated from the rest of the group I caught sight of it as it flew overhead. Brush around the nature center also had a smattering of sparrows – mostly Song, but also a Field and several Swamp Sparrows.

We spent the rest of the morning tramping around the park's back area looking for woodland species. While we did not find our target birds – Wild Turkey, American Woodcock, and Long-eared Owl – we did find some pretty cool birds. For example, there was a flock of around eight (!) Hermit Thrushes all of whom were very talkative. Then there were Fox Sparrows, always a treat. Plus, we flushed a Wilson's Snipe – a species we did not expect, and the only one seen in the New Jersey portion of the count.

For the afternoon we visited a housing development for a different angle on the bay, and a different look at some mudflats. That stop produced our only Yellow-rumped Warblers and Northern Shovelers of the day. It also gave us killer looks at a lingering Dunlin. The rest of the day we spent mopping up – back to the marsh to find Killdeer and a Black-crowned Night Heron, to a nearby field to look (unsuccessfully) for Snow Buntings. Our last birds for the day were two American Tree Sparrows.

Our group finished with 61 species in about ten hours of birding. Not bad at all for an area as heavily urbanized as Jersey City in the middle of December.

For more on a different section of the count, see the Meadowlands Blog.

Cape May Update

Since arriving in Cape May, I have been visiting Cape May Point State Park quite frequently during my off-hours. Yesterday morning I found that a strong wave of migrants had arrived in the park. I saw large numbers of American redstarts, as well as at least one black-and-white warbler and a black-throated blue warbler. (Apparently there were much better results at Higbee's Beach.) There were also a lot of eastern kingbirds around the hawkwatch platform. I could not identify all of the peeps in the park's ponds, but I did find some least sandpipers, plus short-billed dowitchers, lesser and greater yellowlegs, and a solitary sandpiper.

Elsewhere around the Cape, I have been seeing hundreds of tree swallows, darting around and perching on the telephone wires. There are handfuls of ruddy turnstones and sanderling on the beaches. Yesterday evening I saw a gull-billed tern fly past Sunset Beach.

A Few Days in Cape May County

This past week, I spent several days visiting family in Cape May County. (Thus my absence from the internet.) This was my first time in Cape May since I started birding. However, several previous visits there in the late 1990s helped spark my interest in birds. Seeing glossy ibises, American oystercatchers, and laughing gulls for the first time made me realize that it was possible to see a lot more bird species than what I was used to in Central Jersey. (It still took a few more years before I started actively seeking out birds.) Though last week's trip was not primarily a birding expedition, there were still opportunities to observe the midsummer avian diversity at the cape's habitats.

Hereford Inlet has a growing sandbar that is now home to oystercatchers and other beach-nesting birds. I do not remember it being there the last time I visited (about ten years ago). On Monday evening, we had repeated looks at black skimmers foraging there in their unique style.

At the southern end of the Wildwoods, Cape May NWR's Two Mile Beach Unit offers access to beach and dune habitats. Several sections of the beach are closed during spring and summer months to protect nesting shorebirds. When we stopped there on Tuesday morning, piping plover and least tern nests were not apparent, but several oystercatcher pairs guarded nests in the northernmost enclosure. Other highlights included a flyby brown pelican, black-crowned night herons on the Cape May Inlet jetties, and a multitude of ospreys. Ghost crabs were skittering all over the beach. A few engaged in territorial battles, and I witnessed one crab kill and eat a slightly smaller one.

On Tuesday afternoon, we spent a few hours at Villas WMA, a former golf course that has been converted into grasslands habitat. Villas is a bit off the beaten track for visiting birders, perhaps because it only opened to the public in 2006. The birds were more or less what one would expect for meadow/edge habitats – indigo buntings, eastern kingbirds, chipping sparrows, purple martins, and the like. The dragonflying, however, was excellent. Former golf course water features have become weedy ponds, perfect for dragonflies to hunt and breed. I noted nine species of dragonflies, and there were more that I could not identify. The possibilities for finding butterflies look good, too, though the site lacked enough wildflowers for a true butterfly meadow.

Wednesday morning was spent at South Cape May Meadows, a.k.a. Cape May Migratory Bird Refuge. The refuge consists of a large marsh and narrow beach managed by the Nature Conservancy. In summer, the refuge provides nesting habitat for federally-endangered piping plovers and state-endangered least terns. Both species were present last week. Piping plover chicks looked really cute. Least terns were diving and scolding at any visitors who walked along the refuge path near one of the nests. The highlight of the visit to the Meadows, though, was a life bird – two gull-billed terns. These terns have very distinctive bills, though the bills are a bit smaller than I had expected. This refuge is one that I would definitely like to visit again in other seasons, as the habitat seems very productive.

One shorebird on the refuge beach, a sandpiper of the Calidris genus, gave me some trouble. Its plumage resembled that of a semipalmated sandpiper, except that its primaries projected well beyond the tip of the tail. This would seem to indicate a Baird's sandpiper, but I am hesitant to claim a life bird based on this field mark alone. So for now, it will remain a Calidris-sp.

Wednesday afternoon included a brief walk at Cape May Point State Park, which wrapped up the birding walks for the trip. We missed birding at a few prominent sites such as Higbee Beach and Stone Harbor, along with some less-prominent ones like Hidden Valley or Rea Farm. The Hawkwatch lacked migrating hawks to watch, and the CMBO's outpost at Cape May Point was closed for the week. (The one in Goshen is a bit out of the way.)

Overall, it was a good trip, and we covered most of the county's habitat types. I am hoping to return to Cape May at some point for more birding. I understand that migration there is spectacular.

(I have edited the year list to include my most recent sightings from Cape May County.)

Windy Day at Negri-Nepote

Today I visited the Negri-Nepote Grasslands in Franklin Township with my mother and sister. This morning reminded me of birding in March - high winds, overcast sky, and chilly temperatures. Of those, the wind was the most distracting because it made it difficult to hear the soft spring songs of many birds and forced them to lie low in the vegetation. Despite the adverse conditions, there were plenty of birds, including some firsts of the year.

Newly-returned grasshopper sparrows were singing all over the preserve. That song is one that I might have missed prior to seeing my first grasshopper sparrow last spring as it sounds more insect-like than bird-like. The same goes for other Ammodramus songs, which I find to be one of the more challenging song-types to hear and identify.

Several other sparrows were present, including singing chipping and field sparrows. Savannah sparrows are still moving through in great numbers. I do not know if any stay to breed in Franklin Township. That will be something to watch over the summer. One sparrow that flew past me seemed to have a short, square tail with white outer feathers. This is one field mark of a vesper sparrow, but I would not make such a call based on a single field mark.

One highlight was seeing a wild turkey run across an open field in the back area.

A few warblers have returned in the last week. Yellow warblers were busy setting up territories along the hedgerows in the back area. Common yellowthroats were also singing at several points. One northern parula was singing in the cedar grove.

While dark-eyed juncos have departed, some winter species are still around. Yellow-rumped warblers are still at the grasslands. I saw a few white-throated sparrow in the hedgerows at Negri-Nepote, and they are still coming to the feeders at home as well.

A crew from the county was mowing the field close to the parking lot, and another crew was cutting trees along the wooded patch near the cedar grove. I was wondering whether the timing of these actions was appropriate, given the proximity to the nesting season. A few Field Sparrows were already carrying nest materials, and Kestrels and Eastern Bluebirds were setting up in the boxes. I imagine other species are doing the same. I understand that this is necessary to maintain the habitat, but it would seem better to do it earlier in the spring.

Wandering Tanager

When I left Jamaica Bay yesterday, I boarded the 'A' train for Manhattan. Instead of stopping at Penn Station and going home - as I would normally do, I transferred to the 'C' train to head uptown to Central Park. An unusual bird had been reported last week from the Winterdale Arch near West 81st Street.

As I approached the arch I saw it, a beautiful Western Tanager perched right at the top of a viburnum bush (where it was reported). It then flew across the roadway and foraged in a flowering tree (perhaps a magnolia?). A photo gallery of the Central Park tanager is available, as well as notes from Marie Winn, Greatest Auk, and Urban Hawks. The key identification points are the yellow and white wingbars and the pinkish decurved bill. These points distinguish it from an adult female Scarlet Tanager, which is superficially similar.

One of the remarkable things about rarities in New York is that they seem to have little trouble adjusting to the noise and bustle around them. As I observed when I saw the Scott's Oriole in Union Square Park, the oriole seemed to tolerate the fake peregrine antics across the street, streams of passersby, and a squadron of prowling birders armed with binoculars and high-end camera equipment. This Western Tanager in Central Park faced a similar mass of birders as it foraged in a tree right next to a busy bicycle speedway. A hoard of screaming kids marched past. All the while, the tanager went about its business without flushing.

After seeing my second life bird for the day, I walked up to the reservoir. A small group of waterbirds near the southwest corner included Northern Shoveler, Bufflehead, Ruddy Duck, and American Coot. The Pinetum had a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, as well as flocks of Golden-crowned Kinglets and Yellow-rumped Warblers. I checked out the Turtle Pond and Shakespeare garden as well, but there were no unusual birds. With that, I ended my birding for the day and headed home.

Life Birds by Subway, Reprise

This morning I woke up really early and took a train into New York City for a day of birding. While the city is not exactly a pristine wilderness, it has several great birding spots located close to subway. Normally this makes urban birding very convenient. Today, though, the 'A' and 'C' lines were plagued by construction-related delays, so everything took longer than it should have.

In any case, I headed out to Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, which is a one-seat ride on the 'A' train from Penn Station. Starting out from the nature center, I followed the loop trail around the West Pond. The pond was covered with large flocks of waterfowl, including a huge raft of scaup - mostly Greater Scaup, as far as I could see. Between the flocks in the West Pond and East Pond, the scaup at the refuge must number in the thousands right now. A somewhat smaller (though still large) flock of Snow Geese loafed around the shores of the pond. Occasionally a few would get upset and take off honking. A few "Blue Geese" were among their number. The pond held a variety of other waterfowl, including Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, Northern Shoveler, and Ruddy Duck.

Signs of spring were all around, starting with buds that were starting to open on many trees. An Osprey pair has started nesting on a platform on the south of the pond. Several flocks of Tree Swallows were present. Strong winds caused most of them to huddle close to the shrubs and paths rather than engage in aerial acrobatics. The swallows did not flush as I approached, so I was able to view them perched at exceptionally close range. In this morning's bright sunlight, their metallic blue plumage was dazzling.

Other birds around the West Pond included Great Egret, Northern Harrier, Sharp-shinned Hawk, American Oystercatcher, Eastern Phoebe, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Hermit Thrush, Yellow-rumped Warbler, and American Tree Sparrow. The warblers seemed especially numerous today. I'm not sure if that is the result of a spring push or if such numbers are present at Jamaica Bay all winter.

After a quick lunch, I crossed Cross Bay Boulevard to walk the trails on the other side of the refuge. Almost immediately, I spotted my first butterfly of 2008 - a Mourning Cloak that fluttered to the ground like a falling leaf. I could hear Spring Peepers chorusing as I approached Big John's Pond. A lone male Rusty Blackbird in its beautiful breeding plumage wandered through a small pool to the left of the blind. On the pond, there were a few Northern Shovelers and an Eastern Painted Turtle.

The East Pond held the same species of waterfowl as the West Pond. I had a great close-up view of a pair of Mute Swans. As they dipped their heads in and out of the pond to eat submerged aquatic vegetation, I could see drops of water beading on their feathers. The droplets gleamed like little jewels in the sunlight. Invasive (and harmful) as they are, mute swans can still appear beautiful under great lighting like today's.

With winter ending last week, it appeared that my chances of seeing any new irruptive boreal birds had become rather slim. I had already missed chances to see Bohemian Waxwings (twice) and Common Redpolls (also twice). Today that changed. As I made my way back from the East Pond I encountered about a dozen Common Redpolls feeding in a small stand of birches. I had as many as six or seven in my binocular view at one time. Some were clinging, goldfinch-like, on branches to feed from the birch catkins. Others foraged on the ground. As I watched them, it occurred to me that they have a bit of an urban hipster look with their jaunty red caps and black goatees. Perhaps they really belong in the city?

With that sighting I ended my trip to Jamaica Bay. However, the day's birding was not yet done. More to come tomorrow...